In 2025, LEAD spoke with C-suite and partnership executives across 15 teams spanning the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS.
Our goal was to better understand what’s working in health system partnerships and where they’re falling short. We learned that sports teams are the most effective platforms, hidden in plain sight, for delivering value to health systems.
State of the Market: Sports Teams & Health System Partnerships
PwC projects the global sports sponsorship market will reach $160 billion by 2030. Within that, health systems consistently appear. SponsorUnited data shows 67 health system deals across major U.S. leagues, averaging approximately $2.9M annually. These deals have become the norm for all sports teams.
After all, sports fans are patients & patients are sports fans.
These deals have real staying power, not a marketing fad. For example:
- AdventHealth and the Orlando Magic recently celebrated 35 years together
- Mercy Health and FC Cincinnati have expanded their partnership since 2017
- Hospital for Special Surgery supports 30+ teams across leagues
The Inspiration
A recent chat with my friend Dr. Arif Kamal, Chief Patient Officer of the American Cancer Society, reminded me of the great benefits the health industry gains from partnering with sports entities (i.e., ACS’s work with the NFL).
“Serious illnesses like cancer and sports share something powerful – they transcend backgrounds, cultures, and walks of life. They have the ability to reach anyone, anywhere. And, we know the risk of nearly half of all cancers can be reduced through lifestyle changes, including physical activity. This creates a natural alignment between our mission and the world of sports,” said Dr. Kamal. Through our longstanding partnership with the National Football League and the Crucial Catch initiative, we’ve reached nearly 2 million people with cancer prevention and screening efforts. Together, these efforts have generated $35 million to support the American Cancer Society’s CHANGE grant program, contributing to more than 840,000 cancer screenings in underserved communities. Partnerships like these meet people where they are with critical resources and reduce suffering from cancer – proving what’s possible when health and sports move forward in the same direction.”
This reflects what we see firsthand at LEAD: the sports and health industries are colliding. Health systems have quietly become one of the most foundational categories in sports sponsorships, yet most still underestimate the opportunity.
Why Do Health Systems Want to Work With Sports Teams?
Unlike consumer brands that prioritize national reach, health systems are fundamentally local businesses. Partnering with a sports team is one of the best ways to tap into the local audience. According to an Arctos report, ≈ 65% of marquee sponsorship assets, such as jersey patches and naming rights, come from local markets.
Sports partnerships also build trust, foster emotional connection, provide repeated community exposure, and enhance brand legitimacy.
What Does a Health System Partnership Look Like?
Outside the traditional jersey rights and stadium naming rights, there’s no single model—structures vary widely across teams. But across the 15 organizations we interviewed, several consistent formats emerged:
What are the Challenges?
Despite their potential, most partnerships remain underbuilt. Several common challenges emerged:
- ROI is difficult to quantify: 70% of teams cited challenges in measuring impact beyond impressions. Some are experimenting with referral tracking and third-party valuation, but no standardized framework exists.
- Storytelling is fragmented: Many partnerships feel like collections of disconnected activations rather than a cohesive narrative across a season.
- Experiences aren’t evolving: Teams often run the same playbook year after year. Ironically, when something “works,” it can create resistance to innovation—which may be the biggest risk of all.
What are the Opportunities?
Half of the teams we spoke with identified data as their most urgent unmet need. Most are still tracked in spreadsheets, leaving a wide gap between delivered value and provable value. Beyond measurement (a company like KORE), two areas stand out:
- Technology Integration: This repeatedly came up as an untapped area, including concepts such as micro-donations and fan-to-patient platforms. A tool like our portfolio company, WiTT, can power this.
- Women’s Sports & Girls’ Programs: Multiple organizations identified female-focused programming as a strategic priority. They see clear alignment with their patient base and with platforms like our portfolio company TOGETHXR.
The bottom line for partnership leaders
Unlocking that value requires moving past the status quo. The most successful partnerships are those where both sides push for creativity and innovation.
Sports partnerships are no longer just marketing vehicles for health systems. They are community strategy and patient acquisition—wrapped in the same jersey. The organizations that win in this category will do two things well: (1) Measure what matters, and (2) continuously reinvent the experience.
My Conclusion
Notably, not every team is eager to innovate. Several executives were candid: when a partnership is running smoothly, they prefer not to disrupt it.
We think that’s a mistake. The partnerships of tomorrow won’t look like those of today. To keep health system partners engaged, teams need to push beyond standard activations and rethink how they engage patient audiences.
And as AI reshapes digital marketing and saturates acquisition channels, the inherently local and human nature of health system partnerships becomes a strategic differentiator.
The economics of sports partnerships are tightening. As sponsorship inventory becomes more expensive and more crowded, every dollar needs to work. Health systems may be long-term partners, but they are not immune to scrutiny. If teams can’t clearly demonstrate impact, those budgets might be reallocated.
Sources
- Arctos Partners, “Chart of Week: Resilience in Sports Partnerships,” LinkedIn
- Megan B, “Public’s View, U.S. Healthcare Quality Declines to New Low,” Gallup
- PwC, Sports Sponsorships Playbook
- Research conducted by LEAD.VC, Q1 2025. The interviews included representatives from 15 US-based sports teams across MLS, NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL, and USL.
Footnote
The conclusions, findings, or opinions expressed in this article do not represent the views of the American Cancer Society.
